When I create a new piece
of design work, it often happens that they come, much like a baby with a silver spoon in it's mouth, bearing a story. Unfortunately, when I sell a piece, the story is sometimes lost with it. I've decided to collect these stories into a section all
their own, for your enjoyment.

Enjoy them!

Don't forget to click on the BLUE WORDS anywhere on this site to enter new worlds of mythic imagination.

Call Me

There are a lot of reasons why I started this web site.

As I told you on my home page, I started out with the idea of getting my work out into the world where people can look at it and enjoy it. There are some good things about working in isolation, such as, for instance, nobody bothers you. There are also some bad things about it, such as, for instance, nobody bothers you.

What I mean by this seemingly contradictory statement is that art requires a lot of sustained attention carried out over a long period of time - at least, that's how it works for me.

But then, after a while, it is good to hear from others. As soon as I conceived the idea of birthing this monster, I was assaulted by a rather exhilarating wave of creativity. It seems that the time has clearly come for me to go back to the world (or, at least, to do so from the safety of my secret hideout here in the back woods).

What started out as a simple idea - put up a few pictures, offer some stuff for sale (I now sell only through my shop on Etsy: www.splendidfish.etsy.com) - rapidly took on a life of its own. The little homunculus I created wouldn't stay in the bottle where I grew him. He kept climbing out and tapping me on the shoulder, making suggestions which I was powerless to resist.

What you have here now is more of a reflection of my somewhat turgid mind. Ideas rise out of other ideas, and mate (right there in public!), then proceed to give birth to other ideas.

Ah, the Dionysian fecundity of it all!

And so I find myself intensely curious to find out what you think of it all. For this reason, I have established a series of e-mail addresses, each for a different purpose.

To Be Annoying

This second address is for complaints. I realize that there are things I've written here that will tick some people off. As a matter of fact, I make it a habit to tick off at least one person every day before breakfast. Kind of clears the air for the rest of the day.

I'd love to hear you rant. I'm not likely to change anything (unless you catch a typo. My spelling is atrocious, and the spell check function in this program really sucks), but I assure you that I will read what you have to say with relish (and, perhaps, a hotdog). I will also try to respond, especially if you are really, really obnoxious, but I make no guarantees.

Please be advised, however, that anything you send me becomes my personal property, and I may, if you are really, really obnoxious decide to add a page of complaints. Your e-mail may show up there.

I check this mailbox second because I just adore a good rant. That's the kind of guy I am. Try not to drool on your keyboard. There is a slim, but none-the-less real, risk of electrocution.

To Have A Friendly Chat

I would like to make some friends. The hermit thing, while fine for a time, is now getting old, and it is high time for me to reenter the world I left behind so long ago, bringing with me wonders and streaks of lightening.

If you would like to comment on the things you find here, or about art, or poetry, or philosophy, or life, or the strange instances of synchronicity which have begun to creep into your life, or whatever else strikes your fancy, write me here.

Please try to compose your e-mail into a coherent, comprehensible thing, which means that, among other things, you should use upper and lower case letters, and whole words rather than irritating acronyms which I won't understand anyway. Remember that, while you may be in the throws of a mystical experience, mystical experiences are, by their very nature, intensely personal. What you write won't make much sense to me unless you make an effort to make it do so.

Also, I am toying with the idea of adding a page (or pages) of links to other pages where the proprietor has chosen to use one of my pieces. Should you do so, and wish to be included, please send me a web address, and, perhaps, an image to represent your site. A brief description of what your site is all about would also be nice. I'll visit before I add it. As long as you're not a neo-Nazi, or advocating the molestation of children, or doing something equally impolite, I won't be judgemental (it is, after all, a free world, is it not?).

I would like to promise that I will respond to each and every one of you, but I have no idea what kind of response I will get. I do promise that I will read your e-mails, though, and will try to respond. Be advised, however, that I was born in the days before instantaneous communication and have not yet grasped the concept . If I get back to you in a couple weeks, I'll be pretty damned pleased with myself.

I check this mailbox last because I like to linger over these while enjoying my morning English muffin and tea.

To inquire about custom work

If you have a great idea for something you would like, and are wondering if I'd be willing to undertake the making of it, drop me a line at this address. If possible, send sketches and any pertinent information, such as what you'd like it made of, and I'll get back to you with a rough quote. If the quote sounds like it's in your ballpark, I'll work out some more specific drawings, and we can take it from there. For a rough idea, look at the prices of the things I'm already offering. Custom work will run along the same lines, costwise.